Aches and Pains
by Ggunsailor
Summary: Scars are not a symbol of what you've lost, but of what you've gained.


When she was a little girl, Korra always thought that injuries were a sign of weakness. They were a sign of failure.

There's a small scar from her first time firebending on her left arm. On her hands are tiny pinpricks of scarring from metal-bending.

Sometimes her forehead aches. That was where Amon had taken her bending. But she had rallied and defeated him.

The ache in her chest? That's from taking Raava into her body to fight her uncle. But she had done it.

And her lower back still aches. Occasionally she can remember the feeling of her body smashing into the ground. And the mark where the poison had been injected itches sometimes. It still amazed her that she can walk again.

Katara had told her that Aang would still have phantom pain from his lightning scar and from where Ozai had smashed him into the cliff. "Perfectly normal," she says.

But right now she wishes her body wasn't aching as she sits listening in on the meeting between Zhu Li and everyone else. 'These chairs were not designed for comfort.' The chair is pressing a little into her back and she's pretty damn sure her butt is asleep.

_'Body, why did you decide to say 'fuck you' today? Zhu Li should pass a presidential decree that all chairs for official meetings should be comfortable.'_

"Avatar Korra?"

She's brought out of her musings by a voice. "Oh, uh, yes?"

The council woman, a lady by the name of Zo, asks "How would you feel about adding a notice to the entrance to the portal? Would the spirits be offended?"

"Uh…no, I don't think so. The airbenders will make sure everything runs smoothly."

Zo nods, and then another item is brought to attention. Korra breathes in a sigh and shifts.

Ooh, yeah. Her butt is definitely asleep.

She can't help but glance over at her girlfriend. She's raptly attentive, yet she can see Asami is just as bored as she is.

_'Bet her butt's asleep, too.'_

Finally the meeting is over. Everyone gets up from the chairs and the Avatar, glad the meeting's done, stands up too fast.

Bad idea.

Heat lances up from her legs and right into the old injury. _'Oh, shit!'_

"Ow!" She yelps, startling everyone in the room.

"Korra, are you all right?" Zhu Li asks.

The Avatar has to take a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves in her back. "…yes…yes I, I'm fine. My, *ahem, body seems to have lost feeling in its lower half—these chairs aren't very comfy," she offers sheepishly.

"Are you sure?" Zo's voice suddenly sounds muffled as the sneering face of Zaheer leers at her. He grins maliciously…

"E—excuse me!" She bolts out of the room to the balcony of the Presidential Estate, nearly knocking the butler over on the way out.

Gripping the stone railing tight enough to leave earthbending marks in the granite, she takes several breaths to ease her pounding heart, remembering what Katara and Kya had told her to calm down.

"Zaheer isn't here." she tells herself. "He's in a prison where he can't get to you, to anyone."

Finally, she's calm. But her back still hurts.

Well, it is almost five years ago that the Red Lotus had poisoned her. She didn't even realize it until she had looked at a calendar that morning.

_'*sigh* I guess it still bothers me a little.'_

Even though she's looking down at the fountain below, Korra knows someone is behind her. And she knows who she is by the scent of jasmine.

"You're never going to be able to sneak up on me unless you decide to change your perfume." She says, turning to grin at Asami.

The girl chuckles, walking up to stand next to her lover. "Didn't you tell me you liked it when I wore jasmine?"

"I do."

Asami grows serious. "Are you all right?"

Korra sighs. "Yes and no. My butt was really asleep and...It always seems to hurt on the day."

"The day?"

Korra purses her lips. "From where the ground smashed into my back."

"Smashed into—oh." Asami realizes what she's talking about. "It's today?"

"Almost five years ago."

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have cancelled the meeting with Zhu Li today."

"I know, I know. But I knew you wanted to talk to her about that walkway in the park."

Asami puts her arm around her waist. "How do you feel now?"

"Hmm…nothing hanging out with my gorgeous girlfriend wouldn't cure."

After a lunch date and a short walk in the park, they're back at Air Temple Island. There's really no one there save for Pema and Rohan; everyone else has gone on a quick field trip to the Northern Air Temple.

As they go into Korra's room, she sits down gingerly on her bed and grunts. "Gah! Good grief, twenty one years old and I feel like an old woman."

Asami chuckles a little. "Technically you are; the Avatar is, anyways."

Rolling her eyes, Korra concentrates for a moment, and then places her hand on her lower back sighing in relief at the warmth. "Well I certainly _feel_ ancient."

Asami's hands suddenly are on her shoulders, gently massaging them. "Poor baby," she coos. "Anything I can do?"

Korra groans in delight. "Keep doing that, it's a start."

"Hmm, what about a hot bath?"

Korra perks up at that. "…that would work."

Asami grins and kisses the top of her head. "Thought you'd say that."

The water is just warm enough as Korra slips into the sunken bath. She groans in pleasure as the temperature soothes her joints; she slumps a little until the water reaches her shoulders, leaning her head back.

"Hmm, this is nice," she murmurs.

The bathroom door opens and in walks Asami…

Who's wearing nothing but a towel and her hair up.

The Avatar sits up, a little water sloshing over. "Um… you…hi."

"Mind if I join you?" She says, dropping the towel to the floor.

_'Oh. Whoa. I…if this is a dream I'd rather not wake up anytime soon.'_

She nods, unable to say a word as the most beautiful woman in all creation steps into the water.

Her mind goes back to all the times they've had sex so far.

The night after Zhu Li's speech…

In Asami's office…

In the back of the car…

The Sato estate's garden…

"Do you want me to wash your back?"

"Huh?" She's brought back to the present.

Asami is grinning. "Your back. Do you want me to wash it?"

"Oh. Sure."

Asami takes the cloth and begins to rub it against her lover's back. Korra closes her eyes and sighs.

"Mmm…that feels good."

Smiling, Asami works the soapy cloth across her back, noting every scar and mark on her dark skin. "How's your back now?"

"Better; I think the warm water is helping."

"Good."

There's a comfortable silence between them now, one that has been built over a long time.

But then Korra decides to speak.

"You know something?"

"Yeah?"

"I…I think I fell in love with you when you were taking care of me."

"…you did?"

"Heh, yeah. I wanted to tell you so badly but then I…I guess I had a little bit of self-doubt."

The cloth now moves across her shoulders. "How so?"

Korra sighs and leans back a little. "I thought when I was in the South Pole _'how could Asami want someone like me? A broken, battered shell of an Avatar?'_"

Asami stiffens a little. "But you healed."

"I did, but it took a long time." Korra turns her head to her lover. "You know, I even thought of you when I was training with Toph." She grins. "I think she was amused by it."

"Amused?"

Korra chuckles. "Apparently I said your name when I was asleep." She then turns all the way around and takes Asami's hands.

"I used to think that scars were a sign of weakness, a sign that I was fragile and un-powerful…but now I know they're a symbol of what I've gained. Experience, knowledge, power…" she brings one of Asami's hands to her lips and kisses the back of it. "And you."

Asami feels tears gather in her eyes. Her heart is so full she almost feels like it could explode. Korra's eyes, voice, touch…all of it is causing a crescendo of emotion in her being.

One tear does escape, and Korra darts forward to kiss it away, letting her lips linger on the soft skin. "Please don't cry, baby" she whispers.

"…when you talk like that, how can I not cry?" Asami wraps her arms around broad shoulders as she gazes into eyes the color of the ocean. "I never pegged you for a romantic the first time we met."

The Avatar smiles, pulling Asami into her lap. "You bring it out of me, I guess," she says, glancing down at full red lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too…kiss me?"

She does, gently pressing her mouth against hers in a motion she knows so well now, it's almost as natural as bending.

Mako's lips had been hard, dry, and chapped.

But Asami's lips are soft and plush and oh so delicious. Yeah, she wears lipstick but Korra doesn't mind.

When they pull apart, Asami's green eyes are the color of a jungle cat's, maybe even darker. "Korra…"

"Hmm?" The Avatar asks, sliding a hand down her back.

"Are you just going to eep!"

Korra grins. "Yes?"

"…did you just squeeze my butt?"

"Yep. Been waiting all day to do that."

"I swear sometimes you're like an old man," the CEO finally laughs.

"…what do you say we get out of this bath, then?" The Avatar wriggles her eyebrows.

"That sounds like an excellent idea."

No matter what happened next, Korra knows that the woman she loves will always be there with her, no matter what.


End file.
